


Through Windows and Small Doors

by hafital



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-30
Updated: 2009-11-30
Packaged: 2017-10-04 00:50:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hafital/pseuds/hafital
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rani touched Christina's face, and before she could think, leaned in to kiss her. Sweet and light, with lips parting, Rani tasted the freedom of flying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Windows and Small Doors

**Author's Note:**

> Written for alixii on LJ for the 2009 dw_femslash ficathon. Beta read by the wonderful Killabeez.

The textbooks said very little. No two accounts were the same. It is to be believed that a shroud of noise and confusion lay over the bizarre events that took place during the royal ball at Versailles. Masquerading youths. Clever clockwork gifts from Bavaria. Horses galloping through shattered mirrors. No, instead history was limited to descriptions of dresses and ribbons, of political maneuvers between Viscomtes and Marquises, between lovers and mistresses. And so, it was considered as only the expected peculiarities of the aristocracy, and not even a footnote was left to tell of the man who traveled by fireplace.

~~~

Rani laughed and shoved Clyde back as the tube train rocked gently, clattering through tunnels, through flashes of light strobing across Clyde and Luke's faces in a frenetic pattern. She raised her hand, making them dance in the light. The train swayed and Clyde fell backward. Luke sidestepped and Clyde fell to the floor, squawking in protest. They laughed. Rani rolled her eyes and continued to play with the light.

With Sarah Jane out of town, it was up to them.

"What was it Mr. Smith said again?" asked Clyde, settling back against his seat.

"A trace of time distortion," answered Luke.

"Do we even know where we're going?" Clyde was smiling as he spoke, in his usual manner of wanting to know the answer but not really caring what that answer was. In the years Rani had known him, he had not changed. At the end of summer, she would go to University. And miss him.

Behind Luke and Clyde's heads, on the metal and plastic wall of the tube train, Rani recognized the portrait of a famous woman. Powdered hair, rosy cheeks, and that careless way she held a book in her lap. Rani pointed. "We're going there."

Big bold letters were printed across the top of the poster -- _The Marquise de Pompadour: A life Told In Artifacts. A special touring exhibit of the Clockworks of Versailles._ Limited tickets available. Only in town for a few weeks.

Last day for the exhibit: tomorrow it would be gone. The boys complained. Who wanted to see a bunch of old, left over seat cushions and chamber pots? Mr. Smith was having a laugh. A time distortion? In a bunch of moldy tapestries and chipped china?

Rani let them rant. Her body swayed with the motion of the train. They came to a stop. The doors opened and people rushed out and rushed in. Two more stops, then a couple of city blocks.

In the crowd that pushed and shoved, Rani saw her. A woman, dressed in black, with long dark hair. The woman wore sunglasses and a black straw hat with a white ribbon. She looked like a movie star, like a lady at Ascot. But Rani noticed the strength in the woman's arms and legs, and way she carried her shoulder bag, like she might fly at any moment. Like she might leap from a window on the train, clinging to the metal skin with the wind whipping her hair in every direction.

The woman turned, and even though she wore sunglasses, Rani knew the instant their eyes met.

~~~

The inside of the Victoria &amp; Albert Museum was as grand as the outside.

Rani walked cautiously further into the exhibit. In the hushed and close atmosphere, Clyde's voice carried easily, bouncing off mirrors and gold filigree. Luke was hardly any better, either attempting to quell Clyde or inadvertently encouraging him by laughing or saying something accidentally witty. She smiled, and then rolled her eyes when Clyde, grinning broadly, waved from the other end of the hall.

The woman with the black hat was there, gliding across the room, drawing everyone's attention. Rani watched her. Before the woman could disappear around the corner into the next exhibit hall, she turned. Rani felt a jolt.

~~~

Brushes and porcelain bowls, floor to ceiling mirrors, heavy tapestries hanging from the ceiling, diamonds circling the neck of a blank white-faced mannequin. The exhibit showed the story of one woman's life told in gold and finery, like windows into the past. Rani stopped before a pair of silk slippers placed in the center of a lovely pillow: yellow silk, with tiny blue flowers and delicate vines contrasting with the pale smoky blue. Such tiny feet. Rani shifted her weight, conscious of her trainers on the sleek floor.

"Where do you think it's coming from?" asked Luke.

"There's nothing alien here," said Clyde, with his nose wrinkled.

"Can't you feel it?" she asked. They gave her identical blank stares. The hair on her arms rose: her skin blossomed in gooseflesh. "There is something here."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Clyde make a face. He thought she'd gone mental, but Rani knew she was right.

~~~

In the next room, they recreated Madam de Pompadour's private rooms. Her bedroom, her dressing chamber, her books all carefully preserved. She read Shakespeare and Moliere. In the center, along the back wall, there was a fireplace. It wasn't real of course. It was just a replica.

A display held an elaborate brocade gown, the dress Madam de Pompadour wore the night she danced with the King, the night she changed the course of history. Light streamed in from a window, spreading fine threads of sunshine. It was near the end of the day and the light was rich and deep, honeyed and heavy, catching the rich colors of the brocade. Rani stared at the dress and wondered what it would be like to be corseted, to wear such a heavy garment. Next to the dress hung a print of Madam de Pompadour's portrait. Royal mistress to the King, lady of renowned accomplishments, and a superb gardener. There was something in the lady's eyes, glancing to her right, as if she were waiting for someone, and waiting for a long time. Rani shivered.

The woman in black stopped and stood next to her. She was looking at the fireplace.

~~~

Luke and Clyde appeared on either side of her.

"If I have to look at one more Rococco chair," said Clyde, with more than a note of complaint in his voice.

She turned to face them. Behind Clyde's head, on the opposite wall, something caught her attention.

"Do you even know what Rococco is?" asked Luke.

Clyde looked affronted. "A kind of table, obviously."

Rani ignored them, raised her hand, and pointed.

The display held several pencil sketches, placed artfully in a pattern. Drawn by Madam de Pompadour, who had never fancied herself an artist, except in the last few years of her life. They were all of one subject. A tall thin man with wild hair.

The woman in black was there, her hand against the plexiglass of the display.

~~~

The Madam de Pompadour exhibit culminated with the Clockwork Gallery.

Rani looked up at a wig and mask with vacant eyes, a figure wearing a brocade coat, standing next to a clockwork man. She could see the gears clearly. All of the clockwork men were in the center of the room, out in the open with spotlights and footlights carefully placed, making their golden insides glint and gleam.

"Bloody hell," said Clyde.

Rani took one look at the clockwork men and their masked companions and knew this was it. She felt it. There was something on the edge, in the air, in the room. Something building, like a storm, static electricity crackling in the air.

A clock was ticking. Loudly.

There was a scream, and then a yelp. As one, the masked men started moving.

~~~

Rani lost Clyde and Luke in the chaos. The masked men descended from the center display. They were stiff, feet plodding, but still moved quickly.

"Stop," said Rani, planting herself firmly and refusing to move. All of the masked men stopped, turned, faced her. Her heart rose into her throat. They slowly advanced. She walked backward. "What do you want? I can help you," she tried.

No answer, but each masked man cocked their head to the left at the same time. They circled her, raising their arms. Rani scrunched her eyes shut. All she could hear was the ticking, and the yells of the crowd as they tried to run away.

Then someone took her hand. She opened her eyes. It was the woman in black. "Hello," said the woman with a laugh and a smile. "Lady Christina de Souza. At your service."

Lady Christina took her hat off, shook it once. It stiffened into a round, flat disc. With a small twist of her torso, she let the disc fly. It sailed in an arch and knocked the masked men down.

~~~

They held hands and ran, skidding through exhibit rooms. The other museum patrons were running for the exit. They stopped in the room with the fireplace.

"My friends," said Rani.

Lady Christina lifted her sunglasses back. She had blue eyes. "They're on their own."

She took hold of her dress and yanked. It came off in one piece. Underneath she wore a skin-tight one piece, with the legs rolled up. The high-heeled shoes came off and sleek, black trainers appeared from Lady Christina's bag.

"Who are you?"

Lady Christina smiled. "Just passing through," she said, and started moving around the room. Heedless of the rope that kept museum guests from the priceless furniture, rugs, and artwork, Lady Christina leaped into forbidden territory and started patting the walls, jiggling tables and chairs.

"What are those things?" Rani could hear more screaming chaos. She didn't think they had a lot of time. Random patrons went yelling through. She turned back to Lady Christina. "What are you doing?"

Barely sparing a glance her way, Lady Christina continued moving around the exhibit room. "They're from the future."

"Alien?"

Lady Christina paused, one hand on her hip, eyes shrewd, a small smile still playing across her lips. "No," she said. "Human-made." She turned back to her search. "At least, I think so, in any case."

"The time distortion," said Rani, softly, her gaze falling on the fireplace. She thought she saw something flickering in the grate, and leaned down to look.

"Oh, now it's my turn," said Lady Christina. "Time distortion? Just who are you, then?"

Rani, still slowly approaching the fireplace, looked to the woman in black, whose fashionable shoulder bag had transformed into a back pack. Her hair was pulled back and out of her face, the straps of a harness around her chest. Rani might be young, she might be a little scared of the clockwork men with their whirring gears, she might feel lost without her friends, but she was smart. And quick. She put a hand on the fireplace. "My name is Rani Chandra."

Lady Christina came close and placed a hand over Rani's. She touch was warm, caressing. "Don't go through the fireplace, Rani."

Rani heard the approach of a clock ticking. Lady Christina gripped her hand. And they ran again, straight through the hanging tapestry and into anther world.

~~~

Christina didn't let Rani stop running through dark, rank corridors, their feet rattling against the grate flooring. They kept running, hands clasped, until they entered a larger chamber.

"Are we in the future?" Rani laughed.

"Something like that." Christina was looking at a display. Rani looked over her shoulder for a moment, then opted to investigate the chamber. There was a window with a view of stars. In the future and in outer space. How far away from Earth was she?

Christina stood next to her and they both touched the thick, transparent window. It was cold, and greasy.

The ticking returned, followed by the sound of feet running on grating. Someone was calling Rani's name. Christina looked at her, her eyes widening.

Rani fled from the chamber, Christina following. They ran down one corridor. Then down another. At the other end, Rani saw Luke and Clyde. She called to them, waving, but masked men appeared, splitting them up into two groups. Rani and Christina backpedalled. Luke and Clyde disappeared through a quaint white window.

"Come on," said Christina, grabbing Rani's hand, ducking down through a small out-of-place wooden door and into a hall of mirrors.

~~~

Moonlight flowed in through floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting in the mirrors. The glittering chandeliers caught the blue light and spread it around like diamonds. Rani lifted her hand up and let the light play against her skin.

Christina's eyes glittered like the crystals of the chandeliers. She was smiling. This was Versailles. Where they in the past? In the future? Rani heard music. Her heart was in her throat.

Hardly daring to believe, Rani followed Christina through the maze of hallways. She heard laughter. They stood in the dark, just outside the ballroom where they could see dancing. Rani couldn't tell a king from a footman, but she knew what she was looking at as the beautiful woman in the silk brocade gown entered the room, a tall, thin man with wild hair trailing behind her.

"Oh my God," said Rani. Christina looked at her, and there was something in Christina's eyes that reminded Rani of Madam de Pompadour's portrait, something of the whisper of time, the longing of tomorrow. Rani squeezed Christina's hand. "We have to leave," she said.

Christina took one step toward the ballroom. Rani pulled her back. She took Christina's other hand in hers. "I just want to look."

"Are you mad?"

"Maybe." Christina laughed.

"Look," said Rani, taking Christina's arms and holding her in front. She wrapped her arms around Christina and held tight, a little awkwardly because of the backpack. The man she'd only met once was dancing with the would-be mistress of a king. He looked entranced. "How did you know?" asked Rani, speaking quietly into Christina's ear.

Christina leaned against her. "I met _him_, just once, and he took me flying. Into danger. And out of it again. He was amazing. I fancied him. Not seriously, though. He was fantastic and different and full of freedom and I wanted to know more, but he said no." Christina turned her head slightly so her breath caressed Rani's cheek. "You can't be what you once were, after something like that."

Rani thought of Luke and Clyde, and Sarah Jane, who spent almost her entire life chasing the same thing. She thought of the Trickster, and Sontarans, and lost girls with red skin and red eyes. Her life was never the same after moving to Bannerman Road. And she would never go back, not willingly. "No, I suppose you can't."

Christina turned in her arms and they separated. The music grew louder, violins and cellos singing into the night. With their hands still linked, Rani curtsied and Christina bowed. They came together, then parted, then turned, laughing as they danced in the darkened room, through the spray of light that spilled from the ballroom.

They danced until they heard the slow, heavy ticking of a clock.

~~~

They ran through the Hall of Mirrors and through the small wooden door. "Quick," said Christina.

Rani was laughing as she ran. "How did you know about the time windows?"

Christina flashed her a smile. "Believe it or not, I wasn't there because of the time windows. But it's like, once you've gone down the rabbit hole once, you're always falling through. These things just happen now. All the time. I could ask you the same question."

They were breathless, pressed against a bulkhead, waiting for masked men to pass. "I know a woman," said Rani in a whisper. "She met a man once, too, who used to take her flying."

Christina brushed her arm against Rani. "Right," she said, with a smirk and a smart nod of her head. "But not you?"

"Oh, I met him, but no, not me."

"Perhaps that's better."

Rani touched Christina's face, and before she could think, leaned in to kiss her. Sweet and light, with lips parting, Rani tasted the freedom of flying. "Who needs him, when I find someone like you, and Sarah Jane, and my friends." Her eyes widened. "Luke and Clyde! We have to go back."

And they ran.

~~~

They stumbled through the torn tapestry only to be surrounded by masked men approaching with their arms raised and advancing toward their necks. Rani clutched Christina's hand, but they stood firm.

"Oh, come on, now," said Rani, lifting her chin, staring into the lifeless eyes of a mask. "Aren't you a little late for the party? Like nearly three hundred years late?" Next to her, she could feel Christina breathing. "You belong to a different story."

The masked men cocked their head in unison.

"God, it's unnerving when they do that," said Christina. "You heard her," she said more loudly. "You've got it completely wrong. You don't belong here."

"_We have come_," said the first masked man, with his rough, mechanical voice. His mask was crooked, his wig dark. "_We have come to gather and return_."

"Well, gather and return then," said Rani, with a wave of her hand. "Go on. Get out of here."

The clockwork whirring slowed, as if they were thinking harder and thus couldn't move as fast. There was no one else around. They must have all fled. An alarm was echoing through the rooms. Rani spared a thought for the outside world, wondering about police and barricades and hostage negotiations. She realized she wasn't aware of how much time had passed. All together, the masked men turned and marched from the room. With a look at each other, Rani and Christina followed. The masked men went to stand next to the clockwork heads and torsos and arms and legs that were still in the middle of the Clockwork Gallery.

With a sudden rush of insight, Rani understood. "They've come to gather and return," she said. "They're not the same clockwork men as the ones from Versailles."

Christina let go of her hand, and walked closer. The masked men gathered the remnants of their brothers into their hands. They were careful, almost tender. "I think you're right," said Christina.

Rani looked into Christina's face. She had only known this woman for a few hours, or maybe it was only a few minutes. She didn't really know her at all. But she knew conflict when she saw it. "Lady Christina," she said, making Christina to look at her with the use of her title. Rani reached up and brushed a strand of Christina's hair that had fallen across her face. "If it wasn't for the time windows and a chance to visit the stars, a chance to find _him_, then why were you here?"

A corner of Christina's lips rose in a lopsided smile. With a shrug, Christina took her backpack off, walking to one of the masked men. She tapped him on the shoulder. Stiffly, he turned. "Here," she said, unzipping her back and revealing the golden gleam of clockwork gears. "Don't forget this one."

The masked face looked down, then up at her, then took the bag, turning. In unison again, all masked men stomped to the center of the room, lining up. As one, they all lifted their right arms, preparing to press something.

"Wait," yelled Rani. "My friends. Where are they?"

But it was too late. Every masked man vanished.

In the next second, Rani heard stampeding feet, and Luke and Clyde came barreling from around a corner, completely out of breath. Rani felt faint with relief, then rushed to take Luke in a hug, and give Clyde a friendly shove. Clyde held his hand up. "This is the last time I step foot into a museum."

Rani laughed.

She turned to introduce Christina, but Christina was gone.

~~~

It was the most infamous museum theft in recent memory.

No one was hurt, except for a few scrapes and bruises in the panic to escape the museum.

Shortly after the masked men vanished, police stormed into the V&amp;A and found only three teenagers standing in the Clockwork Gallery, looking a little shell-shocked. The girl in particular looked lost. The police would have entered the museum sooner, and they weren't entire certain why they hadn't. Nothing had stopped the museum patrons from fleeing through the exits, but it was like some kind of invisible hold had prevented anyone from returning or entering the museum until all of a sudden they rushed in. By then all of the priceless, invaluable clockwork men were missing.

Well-known thief Lady Christina de Souza was thought to be the culprit. Security cameras had her entering the building.

Mr Smith reported no trace of any time distortion. It seemed as if the masked clockwork men had closed all time windows when they left.

Rani spent all of her time researching Madam de Pompadour. It was amazing what history forgot, but in between paragraphs, behind sentences, hidden with absent words and forgotten mentions, Rani thought she understood. Once a upon a time, a man walked through a fireplace and into a woman's life. Fireplaces, blue boxes, it made little difference.

Not understanding why it hurt, Luke and Clyde tried to console her. She shrugged them off. In a few weeks time, she'd start University. Things would change. They'd always be her friends, but Rani spent much of her time looking through crowds for a dark-haired woman dressed in black.

~~~

Rani heard clockwork ticking and bolted upright in bed, heart pounding. But there was only silence. She lay back down on to her pillow, staring at her ceiling.

She wasn't sure what gave it away: a shadow that shouldn't be there, the barest hint of a sigh. "Christina?" she asked.

One of the shadows broke away from the others and came toward her. Christina was dressed in black, but her hair was down and falling gently around her face. "Clever girl."

Christina sat on the bed. Their hands reached for each other. Rani rested her head against Christina's cheek. "So, that's it, then. You travel by moonlight?"

The dim light lent brilliance to Christina's laughing eyes. She leaned in and Rani met her, mouth open, lips smooth and plump. Softly, hands traveled underneath her nightshirt. Rani laid back. "Yes, by moonlight. Through windows and small doors. Along ropes and across ladders. Do you mind?"

Rani traced one hand down the pale skin of Christina's arm, then over a breast, around the sweep of a hip. "What if I said yes?"

Christina climbed into her bed, straddling her legs on either side. "Then, I'll leave."

Rani swallowed. She closed her eyes and felt a soft hand touch her face, pass through her hair. The weight in the bed shifted. Before Christina could leave, Rani grabbed her hand and held it. "All right, stay. But on one condition."

"Oh really." Rani felt Christina's humor more than saw it. "You do have a way about you, Rani Chandra. What is it?"

"Take me flying with you," she said and kissed her.


End file.
